1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner which upgrades an outdoor unit control program during an operation, a method for controlling outdoor units thereof, and a central control system having the same.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Recently, as facilities of buildings become modernized, much required is an automatic control system for automatically controlling sub systems installed in the buildings, such as power, lighting, air conditioners, facilities for damage prevention, and facilities for crime prevention. And, a central control system, such as a Building Management System (BMS) for integrally controlling the sub systems, is being actively developed.
Generally, an air conditioner is provided with indoor units and outdoor units, and drives a cooling cycle and a heating cycle according to a user's request. The indoor units and the outdoor units are connected to each other through a refrigerant pipe. A recent air conditioning system may include a controller for controlling a plurality of multi air conditioners through connection therebetween.
The recent air conditioner is provided with an air conditioner controller or a gateway for an enhanced efficiency in buildings such as companies and schools where the air conditioner has been adopted. That is, as a function of an outdoor unit of the recent air conditioner is improved, a large number of indoor units are commonly connected to the outdoor unit. And, a plurality of multi air conditioners are integrally controlled by the air conditioner controller. The recent air conditioner is further provided with a remote central control server for remotely controlling multi air conditioners. The remote central control server is configured to control the multi air conditioners, or to monitor state information or driving information, etc. of the multi air conditioners.
In the conventional air conditioner, a dip switch is provided at a microcomputer board of outdoor units so that an outdoor unit control program can be upgraded and the completely upgraded program can be executed. More concretely, a user directly connects a communication line to the outdoor units, and performs a mode conversion by using a dip switch. Then, the user upgrades the control program by sending a control program to the outdoor units. Then, the user executes the upgraded control program by re-performing a mode conversion by using the dip switch. And, the user operates the outdoor units in the converted mode by resetting the microcomputer board.
However, the conventional air conditioner may have the following problems.
In order to upgrade a program for controlling outdoor units installed on the spot, a user has to visit the spot to connect the outdoor units with a device in which the program has been stored.
Furthermore, in a case that the outdoor units are not reset after a mode conversion, the outdoor units may not operate.